‘Storytelling’ by Surian Soosay used under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0)
Today the last episode of Serial dropped. This juggernaut of a show has made Sarah Keonig a household name, broken download records and inspired countless discussions both online and around water-coolers all over the globe.
But with episode 12 finished, many are asking, ‘what the hell am I going to listen to now?’ Well, here at Pillowfort Central we have you covered. You may already know our little show is a discovery tool for your podcast habit, but today we thought you might need a little more, a top up if you will, of things to fill the void that Serial has left in your day (and we all love a good list this time of year, don’t we?)
So here are some great storytelling podcasts to tide you over until season 2 of Serial starts up
Story Corps 10 Most Fascinating People of 2014
Since 2003 StoryCorps has been collecting stories about every day Americans and archiving them. The mission of this project is to ‘provide people of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share and preserve the stories of our lives’. The stories are wide in scope; some are heartbreaking, some uplifting, some downright scary. But all are true and told by the person who experienced it.
Welcome To Night Vale
You know a show has reached cult status when you can buy swag featuring the show’s inside jokes. Co written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, and produced by Commonplace Books, Welcome to Night Vale is part Lake Wobegon, part Twin Peaks. The podcast takes the form of a community radio broadcast featuring news, weather reports, “announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.”
Radiolab
I know, I know, we have talked extensively about Radiolab on our show. And yes, I know this is a massive show with lots of listeners so they probably don’t need me banging on about them. BUT this show is the best of the best. And even after I’ve gone one and on about it there may be one of two of you out there who haven’t drunk the Kool Aid. If you’re looking for thought provoking stories about things you maybe have never thought about get in there. Start with Falling, Space, and Buttons Not Buttons
Here Be Monsters
This is a show about darker subjects. From their site, ‘Here Be Monsters is a growing community of radio producers, artists, and listeners who are interested in pursuing their fears and facing the unknown. We tend to produce pieces about science, drugs, death, religion, politics, and medicine’. The shows tend to be shorter, most run around or just under half an hour. But in that time they squeeze in some serious storytelling.
I hope this will give you something to get through your Serial withdrawal and keep listening to the Pillowfort, we will be bringing you more podcasts to stick in your ears.
